Sea change for flood insurance

Flood insurance is a good thing, if you need it. There are places in Carson Valley that flood, and the federal government is the only entity that will touch coverage of something that can be so devastating.

But if you don't need flood insurance, it can be an expensive additional cost, the last thing people in this Valley need given the chilly economic climate.

Douglas County has spent a lot of time and effort reviewing the federal maps to determine their accuracy.

This process consists of the county having an engineer compare the maps to what's actually on the ground.

It should be a simple matter to see where water goes and where it doesn't, but the federal maps are set to a contour that hides a lot of information about ground slope.

We're talking about maps that show water courses for a distance and then stop in mid-stream, so there are obvious issues with them.

But the question is how willing is FEMA to alter the maps based on appeal.

This is an agency whose resources were severely strained by Hurricane Katrina, and other major floods around the country.

Perhaps rather than looking at the terrain on the ground, the feds are looking at a different bottom line - one that would mean expanding the base of covered property.

Douglas County is right to take this issue to the federal courts, where perhaps we'll learn more about what's preventing facts about Carson Valley flooding from being included in federal maps.